John H Matthews

Runt John H Matthews

Mo Noonan just wants to get to middle school in one piece. But a new kid in fifth grade is trying to keep that from happening. Shorter than everyone else in his grade, and maybe even the grade below him, Mo has never been bullied before. This is new territory, and not anything he wished for.




His mom tells him to try to be friends with the kid. His best friend suggests moving to a new state and changing his name. But Mo knows the only thing he can do is to face his bully, even if it means another bloody nose, or worse.




But Mo stands his ground through the rest of fifth grade, through the science fair, soccer tryouts, and everything else that comes at him, all while realizing there is something more going on with his bully.




Runt is a story about the resiliency of children in a world that seems huge to them, and about never thinking you know what someone else is going through. It handles the delicate subject of child abuse in terms kids will understand, and learn the valuable lesson to watch out for your friends, and your enemies. If you see something, tell a safe adult.